Page 11 of At the Heart of It
“Right.” For the first time since they’d arrived, Viv’s perfect smile seemed to falter a little. Still rooted in the center of the parlor, she shifted from one bare foot to the other, then gestured to a buttery-looking leather sofa in a soft gray. “Please, have a seat. Help yourselves to the cucumber water, fresh fruit, nuts—whatever you like.”
Viv’s new uneasiness made the hair prickle on the back of Kate’s neck, but she seated herself on the edge of the sofa and grabbed a small handful of raw almonds. She slipped one in her mouth as Amy filled three glasses from a pitcher brimming with slices of cucumber and lemon and slid a coaster under each one. They waited for Viv to sit, but she remained standing.
“So,” Viv said, clasping her hands together. “I was a little surprised by the title change, but I’m fine with it. Relationship Reboot with Dr. Viv is casual and catchy, and I’m sure it will resonate better with viewers.”
“Excellent.” Amy plucked a handful of grapes off the platter. “I’ll get the paperwork rolling on that end.”
Viv nodded, and Kate watched her fiddle with the gold bangles, then take a deep breath.
“All right, I’ll just come out and say this.” Viv cleared her throat. “I wanted to tell you this in person, rather than on the phone or in an email. And I wanted you to see the space first, so you can see how perfect this would be.”
Kate felt Amy stiffen beside her. “The space is lovely,” Amy said. “I’m sure the network will consider it.”
Kate kept her attention on Viv. “What do you need to tell us?”
Vivienne took another deep breath, then gave a nervous little laugh. “Goodness, look at me. I’ve written all these books encouraging forthright communication and blunt honesty, and I can’t seem to spit out the words.”
“It’s okay,” Kate said, struck by how human Viv seemed. How down-to-earth. She’d idolized Vivienne Brandt for years, and there was something sweet about seeing her so uncertain. “Take your time.”
Kate glanced at Amy, who looked jumpy on the sofa beside her. She turned back to Viv, who was still working to compose herself.
“All right.” Viv took a few more breaths, then arranged her expression into one of lovely serenity.
That’ll look great on camera, Kate thought, even as the back of her neck continued to prickle.
“The network’s request—the one about having my husband be part of the show?” Viv began.
Kate felt herself nodding as Amy bumped her knee with the side of her notebook.
“They liked the idea of breakout sessions,” Amy said. “You do most of the counseling, but then bring your husband in for a round of ‘Straight Talk with Average Joe.’ They think it’ll resonate with male viewers in particular.”
“Right, well—that’s going to be a problem.” Vivienne unclasped her fingers and reached up to fiddle with the bangles again. “I need to just lay this out there. Joe and I went through a very difficult time in our marriage between the completion of the manuscript for On the Other Hand and the release of the actual book.”
“A difficult time?” Kate frowned, picturing plates hurled at the wall in anger or heated arguments about which way the toilet paper should roll.
“Nothing violent or overly contentious,” Viv amended softly. “Just a—a slow dying of love.”
“Oh,” Amy murmured as Kate’s heart began to race.
“By the time the book was released, we weren’t even living together anymore,” Viv said.
“But—but—” Kate dropped the almond that had been en route to her mouth. She thought about grabbing for it, but that was the least of her concerns right now. “I don’t understand. You did that whole publicity tour together. Book signings and magazine interviews and?—”
“We scrapped all the television appearances, and stuck with things that minimized public appearances together.” Vivienne sighed. “I know what you’re thinking. I know this goes against everything I’ve written about authenticity and being true to yourself, but our publicist thought it would be best if we pretended everything was fine just to get through the PR obligations together. We were still technically married at that point, and we figured we could go our separate ways once the limelight was off us.”
Kate blinked. “So you’re divorced?”
Viv nodded and looked down at her hands. “It was final long before Making It Work came out. Almost eighteen months now. Things had died down after all the hoopla for On the Other Hand, and the paperwork went through quietly. We were still friendly enough to handle all that ourselves, so there was no need to involve lawyers or make a big deal about it. We just—cut ties and moved on.”
Amy shook her head, her expression nearly as dumbstruck as Kate felt. “So that’s why he’s not mentioned in your new book,” Amy said, earning a slow nod from Vivienne. “That’s why Making It Work is all about case studies and other people’s marriages with no personal anecdotes of your own.”
“But you thanked him,” Kate said. “In the acknowledgements for Making It Work—you wrote, ‘And thank you to Joe: For everything.’”
Okay, in light of what she’d just heard, it wasn’t the most romantic thing one spouse had ever written to another in the acknowledgements. Still?—
“The split was friendly,” Viv said. “And I am thankful for Joe’s part in my life, even if we’re no longer together as a married couple.”
Kate nodded. There was a humming in her ears, and she could see this whole plan going up in smoke. She licked her lips.
